The tax authorities are preparing to scrutinize 7 million properties with the launch of the “Register of Property Ownership and Management” in February. This system will interface with public records to enhance oversight, uncover hidden properties, correct false declarations, and track unreported income.

The new system will combine all the registers maintained by state agencies into a single database, facilitating data cross-checking by the Independent Public Revenue Authority (ADEA) and other agencies. The register will include the National Cadastral Code Numbers (NCRN), the Property Identity Numbers (PID), data from the DEDDIE, insurance policies, any pending lawsuits, and planning permits from the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE). The announcement about the registry was made at the 42nd Panhellenic Conference of Property Owners of POMIDA, where details of how it will operate and its capabilities were presented. The Governor of the Hellenic Property Registry, Giorgos Pitsilis, said that the new registry is part of the Authority’s digital and organisational transformation. “To implement a proper policy, data is needed. We aim to link the property register with the Land Registry,” he said. The AADE will start by registering the CECs next to the ATACs. Then property owners will be asked to declare the use of the property, such as vacant, owner-occupied or leased (long-term or short-term).

This Register will record the full details of the property, such as area, location, floor, electrified, unfinished, vacant, and amount of co-ownership. But also additional information, i.e. whether they are leased or free of charge, the amounts of the rents, and the details of the tenants. While, the interface with the Land Registry will allow the Hellenic Revenue Authority to make rapid cross-checks for undeclared properties, false data or undeclared rents.

The new file will include all the data of the “electronic property register“, which has been created with the E9 declarations of individuals and legal entities, as well as from the E2 declarations for real estate leases. These data will be transferred automatically, without the intervention of taxpayers. This digital data will enable the Tax Administration to make comparisons with the data from the tax returns, to identify owners who have concealed properties or have declared a smaller surface area to avoid Income Tax, income tax, presumptions, municipal taxes, TAP, etc., or to avoid penalties for possible arbitrary constructions. At the same time, the Registry will be automatically updated whenever a rental information statement is submitted by a property owner and accepted by the tenant, and will also be automatically updated whenever a landlord declares the termination of the lease of a property. This will give the AADE a complete and accurate picture of who and how much they are collecting from residential rents.

With the connection of the Registry with the electronic file of income tax returns of individuals and legal entities, it will be possible for the income earned by landlords from the use of their real estate to be pre-filled by the Independent Authority in forms E1 and E2 of their tax returns, and for tenants’ expenses for rental payments to be pre-filled in form E1.

At the same time, the data of the electronic register will be interconnected with the Cadastral Registry. The data that will be drawn from the registrations made in the Land Registry throughout the territory will enable the AADE to be able to compare them with the E9 and the E1. As a result, it will be possible to check whether taxpayers have declared the properties they own and whether their characteristics, such as surface area, type, use, location, year of issue of the building permit and others, correspond to those recorded in the cadastral services. Something that will enable express cross-checks by the audit authorities to identify taxpayers who submit fictitious E9 declarations to obtain tax exemptions, or pay less tax than the actual value of the real estate, or even receive illegal social benefits.

Change in Airbnb and Land Registry

Regarding short-term rentals, Pitsilis noted that more than 2.2 million declarations were submitted in 2024, with revenues of €870 million, an increase from €750 million in 2023. At the same time, he said that the addition of a special code on the E2 form is being considered, to verify whether a property was vacant or on a short-term lease. In addition, decisions on the three-year housing tax exemption will be announced soon. The Deputy Minister of Digital Governance, Konstantinos Kyranakis, said the Land Registry is now taking over all property transactions. By the end of February, the launch of a platform for changes in the square footage of land parcels is expected, while in the next quarter, the automatic pre-notation of real estate will be activated, utilizing the register of lawyers and judges of the Ministry of Justice. Kyranakis added that by the end of 2025, 600 million digitized pages will be available for title searches by lawyers, while the goal is to complete the land registration by the end of 2025, reaching 100% from the current 60%. By the end of 2026, properties of unknown owners will be able to be declared through a manifest error procedure. The new system promises to enhance transparency, facilitate transactions and promote tax compliance, protecting compliant taxpayers.

New real estate programs

Sofia Zacharaki, the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, announced major initiatives to boost housing and renovate homes at the 42nd Panhellenic Congress of POMIDA.

The “Renovate – Rent” program will be re-launched in mid-February, with increased subsidies and a maximum investment limit. The scheme aims to renovate empty homes to make them suitable for renting, helping to increase available housing.

A new functional housing refurbishment programme will be announced in September. Although details have not been fully announced, the programme is expected to improve the quality and energy efficiency of existing homes.

The government will present a comprehensive housing strategy by the end of the year to address challenges in the housing market and improve accessibility to affordable, quality housing.